


Faramir

by HASA_Archivist



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Drama, War of the Ring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2003-04-16
Packaged: 2018-03-23 08:42:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3761942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HASA_Archivist/pseuds/HASA_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Faramir's thoughts and motivations during and after his encounter with Frodo and Sam. Movie Canon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Refuge of Henneth Annun

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the HASA Transition Team: This story was originally archived at [HASA](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Henneth_Ann%C3%BBn_Story_Archive), which closed in February 2015. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in February 2015. We posted announcements about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact The HASA Transition Team using the e-mail address on the [HASA collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hasa/profile).

I must not let their childlike size and manner put  
me off my guard, nor let Frodo see my pity - he is  
quite clever enough to use such an opening I think.

He lied to me about the third member of their  
party, but badly like one unaccustomed to lying. I  
didn't like his reaction to Boromir's name either -  
something is very wrong there I deem. How did my  
brother die? Does Frodo know? Is that one of the  
things he's hiding from me, and if so why?

And then there's that other name; Aragorn son of  
Arathorn, the phantasmal heir who's haunted Gondor all  
of my life. Why must this will'o the wisp surface now  
when my country is fighting for her life and any  
division might mean her fall - and the world of Men  
with her?

Even if his claim were proven, were he to show  
himself a veritable Elendil reborn, my father would  
never accept him. We are Stewards of the House of  
Anarion, Isildur's Heirs have naught to do with  
Gondor. Whatever this Aragorn's intentions he can do  
nothing but harm.

Yet - Boromir allied himself with this cipher, he  
joined this odd company with its Dwarf and Elf and  
Halflings rather than returning to Minas Tirith with  
the answer to our riddling dream. Why? He must have  
had a good - nay overwhelming - reason for doing so.

What was the business of this company, sent out by  
Elrond Half-Elven and led by Mithrandir? Frodo  
adamantly refuses to say. I cannot believe any evil of  
Mithrandir but he is not here to answer for himself.  
Like Boromir he is dead, fallen in Moria.

How did my brother die? There were Orc arms piled  
at his feet and his face was calm and at peace, more  
beautiful than I have ever seen it. The strangeness of  
his passing in that Elven boat, filled with light as  
with clear water, haunts me. Where was it taking him  
and why?

I do not trust Frodo, a darkness clings to him. I  
do not think he is evil in himself but a great evil  
overshadows him - I can feel it. What brings two  
Halflings out of the far north to wander the marches  
of Mordor? I cannot let them go until I know.

They are so small, so very much afraid though they  
hide it well. Halflings are a brave folk, whatever  
else they may be. I asked Frodo for his parole and he  
gave it. He will keep his word I think, lies and  
deception do not come naturally to him for all he is  
trying to use them now against me. I gave them back  
their swords deeming them too small and unskilled to  
pose much of a threat even if they should break their  
word.

Frodo's is of Elven make, the runes graven on its  
blade proclaim it was forged three Ages ago in  
Gondolin before its fall. His possession of such a  
weapon is a point in his favor. According to legend  
Elven blades will not suffer a sullied hand to wield  
them.

"Who gave you so ancient and puissant a weapon to  
bear, Frodo Baggins of the Shire?" I asked as I handed  
it to him.

"My Uncle, who found it in a Troll's hoard while on  
a journey with Mithrandir long ago." he answered.

Another truth. This long friendship with Mithrandir  
too speaks in his favor. I turned to the gardener; a  
stout, fairhaired little fellow very unlike his frail,  
almost ethereal master. His blade is an eket, a  
Numenorean short sword, made long ago by our Northern  
kin. "And who gave you your weapon, Master Gardener?"

 

"Strider - Aragorn I should say." he answered  
shortly.

"He gave swords to all of us to defend ourselves  
against the dangers of the road." His master put in  
quickly.

"You are his leige men then?" I asked, mocking  
slightly.

Samwise looked annoyed but Frodo merely shook his  
head. "He is our friend, and was our guide and  
protector on the early stages of our journey." lifted  
blue eyes to gaze levelly into my own. "But long ago  
Hobbits swore allegiance to the Kings of the North in  
return for our land. So in a sense we are his lieges,  
as are you."

"We know nothing of this Aragorn in Gondor." I  
answered, more sharply than I would have wished. "He  
has never made any claim on us."

"I know. But Boromir gave him his allegiance  
unasked. He wanted Aragorn to go with him to Minas  
Tirith."

Can I believe this, that Boromir would accept the  
pretender as his King? That he would take him to the  
White City to confront our father and divide our  
councils now, when all our fortunes hang in the  
balance? My knowledge of my brother says no, this  
cannot be true. Yet I could detect no lie in Frodo's  
face or voice. Can it indeed be so?

Oh Boromir what thoughts and plans were in your  
heart these months we have been parted? What  
moved you to make the choices you did, and what led  
you to your death and that eerie apotheosis?

A Man touches my shoulder, starting me out of my  
thoughts. Bends to whisper in my ear. "Captain,  
there's a creature, some kind of sneaking Orc, swiming  
in the pool."  



	2. The Road to Osgiliath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faramir's thoughts and motivations during and after his encounter with Frodo and Sam. Movie Canon.

"Give him to me." I said. My Man gave me a mildly  
startled look but obediently handed over the prisoner.

Frodo Baggins' child sized body lay tense in my  
arms cloak wrapped tightly, defensively, around him. I  
spoke quietly so as not to be overheard by the Men  
before and behind us on the steep path.

"Forgive me, Frodo, it was cruel of me to frighten  
you so, but I was angry that you should try to keep a  
matter of such moment from me."

"What else could I do? I knew you'd stop me if you  
could." he answered, voice slightly muffled by his  
blindfold.

"Can you blame me, Frodo? It's madness to take the  
Ring into Mordor within very Sauron's grasp. You can't  
possibly succeed."

"I know!" he cried despairingly. "But I must try, I  
am bound by the command of the Council."

"And you say Boromir agreed to this?" That I found  
difficult to believe.

"Yes. He spoke against it, knowing the dangers as  
he did, but he accepted the decision of the Council  
and swore to see it done. Elrond Half-Elven said it  
was our only hope and Gandalf - Mithrandir - agreed  
with him."

Elrond is a name out of legend, sung in old tales  
and written in ancient parchments, but Mithrandir I  
have known since I was a boy. Him I trust whatever my  
father may say. If *he* thought this was the only way  
then perhaps it is.

Yet surely he never intended to send two little  
Halflings alone into Mordor guided by a creature whose  
mind is as twisted as his body. Surely he'd meant to  
be with them, to guide them, and with him gone...I  
could feel the Halfling shaking as he fought back  
tears. "Mithrandir was dear to you."

"I've known him all my life." he choked in answer.

"I too." I said quietly.

"It was my fault!" He burst out suddenly. "I  
decided to go through Moria. But we couldn't pass over  
the mountains and Gimli thought there would be Dwarves  
there to help us - and I didn't know, Gandalf didn't  
warn me!"

"Frodo, if Mithrandir gave the decision to you he  
must have believed you'd make the right one. If he  
didn't warn you perhaps it was because there were no  
better choices." We reached level ground and I put the  
Halfling on his feet guiding him with a hand on his  
shoulder.

"Boromir told me I had burdens enough without  
carrying Gandalf's death as well." he said.

Yes, that sounded like something my brother would  
say.

"He saved my life at least twice, and after Gandalf  
fell he tried to comfort me. Truly, Faramir, I was his  
friend - and he mine."

"But something went wrong between you before you  
parted." I said, knowing it was true.

"Yes...those last days there was much disagreement  
in the company, much debate about our best road.  
Boromir wanted to go to Minas Tirith to rest and  
resupply ourselves before trying to enter Mordor  
through the Morgul Vale."

I shuddered. Boromir would have had to have been  
mad to think such a plan could work.

"But Aragorn was against it, he wanted to enter  
from the north through Emyn Muil and the Dead Marshes  
to the Black Gate."

So Isildur's Heir hadn't wanted to come to the  
White City of his fathers. Perhaps he had feared the  
divisions he might cause. I began to think the better  
of him. "And which course did you favor, Frodo?"

"I - I wasn't sure. I was afraid of making the  
wrong choice as I had in Moria."

"So you and my brother quarreled."

"Yes."

No. He was lying again, or rather holding something  
back. "And in the end you decided to leave your  
companions and strike out alone with just your  
gardener to aid you."

"It seemed the best thing to do. The others were  
Princes and Lords in their own countries, they would  
be needed at home. I didn't want to waste any more  
lives."

"With this Gollum as your guide?"

Very quietly. "I trust him."

"Frodo, he is mad surely you realize that?"

In the same quiet voice. "The Ring has ruined him.  
It is ruining me. It will destroy us all if we do not  
destroy it first."

I could feel his pain, his desperation. "Frodo, you  
cannot destroy it. You, and your Sam, and Gollum too  
would die in the attempt and the Ring would fall into  
Sauron's hands. You must see I cannot permit that to  
happen!" I stopped him, bent to remove the blindfold.  
"The Ring will be safe in Minas Tirith, and it will  
save Gondor."

Those wide blue eyes, uncovered, stared up into  
mine. "How can you believe that? You've felt the  
Ring's power, its malice!"

Yes, I had felt it like a maddening fever in the  
blood urging me to thrust my sword into the Halfling's  
heart and take the Ring for my own. But I had mastered  
it - the temptation could be resisted. Yet the  
knowledge that we held the Ring, even lying unused in  
our deepest vault, would give Sauron pause make him  
draw back his hand for fear of provoking a terrible  
retaliation.

"When all the choices are bad one can only choose  
the one that holds the least peril." I answered. "And  
I have done so."

Haven't I?  



	3. The Ruined Citadel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faramir's thoughts and motivations during and after his encounter with Frodo and Sam. Movie Canon.

I watch the Little Ones slip away through the trees  
and feel at peace with myself for the first time since  
I discovered what they carry.

My father will be furious, perhaps even angry  
enough to invoke the exteme penalty, but I know I have  
done the right thing. Even if my worst fears prove  
true and the Ring comes again into the hands of its  
master I will still have made the right choice.

If Gondor were falling into ruin and only I could  
save her by wielding the One Ring I would not do it.  
Better far to die clean than live to become that which  
we hate and have fought all these long years. There  
are some perils a Man can only flee.

I turn at last to make my slow way back through the  
tunnels to my Men. Ah, Boromir! my brother must have  
fooled himself into believing he'd mastered the Ring's  
power - as I did - whilst all the time it was slowly  
mastering him. Undermining his strength and twisting  
him to its will. Sam spoke true, the Ring drove my  
brother to madness. He never would have done such a  
thing in his right mind.

And yet - somehow he freed himself of its hold  
before the end and died clean of taint. The look of  
peace on his face as he lay lapped in light tells me  
as much. No doubt that is why the vision of his  
passing was vouchsafed to me - that I might know this  
for my comfort. May the Valar recieve his spirit!

Frodo fears for his companions and kin, and rightly  
for they must have been in mortal danger for Boromir  
to blow the Horn of Gondor. Yet it was not Orcs who  
arrayed him for burial, some of the Company yet live I  
deem. And if Aragorn son of Arathorn is among them  
what will he do now, where will he go?

Boromir wanted to bring him to Minas Tirith - was  
he wrong also in this? Just yesterday I would have  
said yes, now I wonder. The Kings of Old had great  
power. Was it not Isildur who vanquished Sauron at the  
end of the Second Age? even if his fault meant that  
defeat was not final. Yet who am I to censure him  
having come so close to committing the same folly? I  
have now a grim respect for the power of the Ring, and  
naught but sympathy for any Man caught in its toils.

Gondor fails as does the rule of the Stewards. My  
brother, proud and independent as he was, looked to  
Isildur's Heir to save us. But can he? The risk is  
very great - this is not the time for another  
Kin-Strife! Yet is not sending the One Ring into  
Mordor in the hands of a frail Halfling an even  
greater risk?

The time for cautious half measures has passed. In  
these dark and desperate days we must wager all on the  
long chance. That was ever Boromir's way not mine, how  
many times have I chided him for recklessness and been  
laughed at for my pains? Yet it could be his rashness  
will prove wiser in the end than my much vaunted  
prudence.


End file.
